Former Tartan band director admits to sexually assaulting DeLaSalle student
A former Tartan High School band director has admitted in court to sexually assaulting a DeLaSalle High School apprentice in Daniel James Felton pleaded guilty last week in Hennepin County District Court to the sole count of felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with assaulting the then- -year-old girl while she was his music trainee at the Catholic high school in Minneapolis Felton who was charged last August entered the plea on Friday after reaching an agreement with the prosecution that calls for up to days in the workhouse five years of probation and a stay of imposition of his sentence which means the felony conviction will be considered a misdemeanor if he successfully complies with the terms of his probation Sentencing is scheduled for July Felton was the music director at DeLaSalle for nearly two years before leaving the school in August for Tartan in Oakdale according to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile The online page also revealed he was a professional gospel musician and a band director at The Holy Christian Church International in St Paul Felton resigned from Tartan shortly after the victim filed a personal injury lawsuit against him and DeLaSalle in Hennepin County District Court The civil suit remains pending in court with a judge halting further proceedings in September until the criminal episode concludes Felton lived in Brooklyn Park when the cases were filed but has since moved to Celina Texas court records show Assaulted in his car The criminal complaint says the victim went to Minneapolis police in January and disclosed Felton assaulted her several times beginning in April which was her senior year at DeLaSalle She noted he was her band and choir coach during her junior and senior years Felton added her on Instagram in April and began sending direct messages which became sexual she revealed She announced the first assault happened that month after Felton offered her a ride home after a concert Instead of driving straight home she described police he took her to an empty parking lot and touched her in a sexual manner placing his hand on her inner thigh the complaint says She communicated the interaction made her feel uncomfortable and she inquired him to take her home Additional sexual assaults took place between April and August mostly in his car she described police She broadcasted he would emotionally coerce her into sex acts Police were given Instagram messages that Felton and the girl purportedly exchanged between April and September The messages include Felton telling her multiple times he loves her and describing in detail what he wished to do to her the complaint says Related Articles DoorDash delivery driver pleads guilty to stealing million in deliveries scam Onlookers put suspected drunk driver s speed at - mph before fatal St Paul crash Man shot by St Paul officer during search after sex assault gets -year sentence Mounds View deaths of men investigated as murder-suicide Judge reduces Menendez brothers murder sentences putting them a step closer to freedom The civil suit was filed Feb by the Minneapolis law firm Storms Dworak on behalf of the victim who is listed as Jane Doe It includes screenshots of sexually-explicit Instagram messages purportedly sent to the girl by Felton and alleges several assaults including one in his DeLaSalle office Felton also worked as a music coach at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis from January to early November according to the Minneapolis School District Felton taught in the Osseo school district in and then for the Spring Lake Park school district until leaving for DeLaSalle according to his deleted LinkedIn profile He had earned a Bachelor s degree in music from Gustavus Adolphus College in St Peter Minn and then a master s degree in music development from the University of Minnesota Felton s teaching license is no longer valid according to the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board s website
